Homeowners don’t generally think about the role of a first-time home seller until they decide to buy a new home. Usually, the motivating factor is the need to move — due to work-related issues or the needs of a growing family — and that generally involves buying another house.
Selling a home is very different from buying a home. Whereas buying a home generally involves emotions and feelings, selling a home typically centers on what listing agents like to call maximizing profit potential.
Price Your Home Accurately
Price your home accurately. For this, you should enlist the help of a reputable listing agent. You’ll fare much better if you select an experienced real estate agent who sells a fair number of listings, preferably in your neighborhood.
Your agent will analyze comparable sales and prepare an estimate of value often called a CMA, for comparative market analysis. Your listing agent should have the experience and education to provide you with a accurate opinion of value.
The Best Time to List Your Home
Choose the best time to list your home if possible. This time period will vary depending on your local community, the weather, time of year, and a host of other factors, including the state of your present real estate market.
Real estate markets can vary significantly from one neighborhood to another. First time home sellers need to understand what the current state is of their local real estate market. Generally speaking there are three “states” of a real estate market, a sellers market, a buyers market, and a balanced market. Before you decide to sell your home for the first time, it’s important you ask a real estate professional their analysis relating to the current state of the local market! You basically get one chance to present your home in hopefully its best light the first day on the market.
Home Staging Boosts Selling Power and Appeal
Ask your agent to advise you on preparing your home for sale. Most homes show better with about half of the furniture removed. If a buyer walks in the door and wonders if anybody lives in the house, you’ve done your job correctly. Consider home staging to boost your selling power and appeal. Painting is the single most effective improvement you can make. Don’t let dings in the woodwork or scraps on the walls make your home reflect deferred maintenance.
Be Flexible With Home Showings
Be flexible with showings. If home showings are too much of an imposition, consider going away the first weekend your home is on the market. The best way to sell your home is to let a buyer inside with the buyer’s agent to tour in peace and quiet. Leave the house when buyer’s agents show up if possible. It can feel a bit intrusive to allow strangers to trek through your home and check out your soft-closing drawers in the kitchen, but it’s part of the process to make sure your home is sold quickly for the best price.
Professional Photography
Of course, if you have hired a top-notch listing agent, your agent most likely already provides professional photos. It’s not enough to just get the angle right in the photo, the most popular photos are rich in color and depth, and they entice. Ask to approve the virtual tour or photo tour before it publishes.
Review Your Listing Online
Look at your home listing on various websites to make sure the information conveyed is accurate. Agents do their best to ensure accuracy, but since it is your home, you know the details better than anyone. If you spot a feature that is missing, contact your agent immediately and ask for an inclusion.
Respond Promptly to a Purchase Offer
Try to respond promptly to a purchase offer. Many offers contain a date by which the offer expires. Notwithstanding, it can drive buyers crazy if they are forced to wait for a seller to decide whether to accept their offer or to issue a counteroffer. Remember, if you are selling because you need to buy a new home, you are no different when you are a home buyer yourself.
These are just a few tips for the new home seller. Selling a home for the first time can be extremely stressful and exhausting. Consider carefully choosing a top producing agent to help and you will have a much greater chance of a smooth and successful home sale.
For more information on selling your home, please contact THE BRENNAMAN GROUP: 843.345.6074 – bob@charlestonproperty.net
